A royal expert has revealed what it's really like for the royals living in Buckingham Palace and shared why, thanks to their grandfather King Charles III, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will never have to make the palace their family home.
When we look up to see the royals lined up on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, it's hard to imagine a more regal sight. The building's stunning architecture, the many guards lining the Palace grounds, and, of course, the royals in all their finery, it all builds a picture of an incredibly impressive home. But, according to one royal expert, Buckingham Palace isn't all it's cracked up to be.
The Palace is the official residence of the monarch and has been since 1837. Many Kings and Queens of the past have made the Palace their home, including Netflix's Queen Charlotte of Bridgerton who, yes, was based on a real Queen who adored the regal home and whom we hope we'll see more of in the show's upcoming third season. But today's royals aren't big fans of the Palace and won't be cuddling up in any of the building's living rooms to watch the new episodes.
According to royal author, Hugo Vickers, the Palace is about as far from a family home as you could get with its 'cold and impersonal' mix of state rooms, offices and hotel-like bedrooms. In fact, the Palace is so vast, when the royals are there, they often have little way of knowing who else is there with them, giving the building 'the atmosphere of a prep school during the holidays.'
It doesn't sound like the idea family home, does it? So it's good news that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis don't have to worry about moving into it when their mum and dad, Prince William and Kate Middleton, become King and Queen.
They don't have to live there as King Charles has set a precedent, refusing to leave his beloved Clarence House despite being the monarch. His mother, the late Queen Elizabeth paved the way for this happen as, while she used Buckingham Palace as her main residence, she spent most of her time at Windsor or Balmoral Castle, especially in the last few months of her life.
According to Vickers, King Charles will never move out of Clarence House, which he describes as “a magnificent ‘country house’ with a large garden, right in the middle of London”. He currently will only go to the Palace for formal occasions, meetings, receptions, and state banquets.
So, when William does become King, the Wales family are set up to remain at whichever family home they choose. It's likely that, considering their current plans to renovate their family home Adelaide Cottage, the family-of-five will stay there, with William commuting to the Palace for official business.
In other royal news, Prince William treated Prince George to the ultimate father/son bonding night - and everyone is saying the same thing about the youngster, while an expert has revealed that while Prince George, Charlotte and Louis may be royal, their favourite meals prove they’re just like any other kids. And the unexpected way King Charles made sure his son Prince William met Kate Middleton - and he could never have guessed how important the ‘fatherly’ advice would be.
